TRANSPORT

A14

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made on the widening of the A14 around Kettering.

Stephen Hammond: A design and build contract was awarded to Bam Nuttall/Morgan Sindall JV on 20 June 2013.
	Their tendered programme indicates a start of works in late 2013 with works completed by spring 2015.
	During the initial phase of the contract the contractor will complete the detailed design before works can start later in the year.

Bus Services

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to protect local bus services.

Norman Baker: I am very conscious of the vital role that buses play in supporting local communities. They are the backbone of our public transport system and crucial to a healthy, growing economy. This is recognised by the fact that we were able to protect existing levels of Government support for buses as part of the spending decisions announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday.

Tractor Driving Licences

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the licence system for tractor driving.

Stephen Hammond: There have been no assessments made of the licence system for tractor driving.

Public Transport: Disabled Access

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve disabled access to public transport.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport published an Accessibility Action Plan in December 2012 which contains a number of commitments to ensure that transport is accessible and safe for everyone to use. This sets out how the Department will build on the accessibility legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	I have also recently announced that the Department intends to retain the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

Railway Stations

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he is making on his plans to fund new railway stations.

Simon Burns: Funding from the new stations fund has been awarded to four stations in England and Wales (Ilkeston, Pye Corner, Lea Bridge and Newcourt), plus a further station at Kenilworth which the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), is minded to fund subject to its integration into the programme of wider improvement works in the area.
	In addition, local authorities can also fund new stations using funding from other sources as a contribution.

A1

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to upgrade the A1 North of Tyne and Wear.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the right hon. Member to the oral statement made by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), to the House today in relation to Government's future capital expenditure for roads.

Motorways: Driving Offences

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of accidents that will potentially be prevented as a result of the introduction of new penalty notices for misuse of the middle lane of motorways.

Stephen Hammond: Careless driving takes a number of different forms including misuse of the middle lane of motorways. Data collected by the police on the contributory factors to road accidents show that in 2011, 272 deaths had ‘careless, reckless or in a hurry' recorded as a contributory factor. This may be an underestimate as there are other contributory factors (e.g. failing to look properly) that could be included as careless driving.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the environmental effect of increasing the speed limit on motorways to 80 mph.

Stephen Hammond: Work on the environmental impact has not been completed and we would consult on the potential impacts before any decision was taken as to whether to proceed with trials.
	At a time when Government have been clear about the need to manage a step change in investment for our road network, trials of 80 mph on the network are not a high priority.

Network Rail

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what Network Rail's current debt is;
	(2)  what the annual change in Network Rail's debt level has been over the last three years.

Simon Burns: The level of Network Rail's debt is reported annually by the company in their annual report and accounts which are available on their website at
	www.networkrail.co.uk
	The relevant figures as reported in those accounts are as follows:
	
		
			 Year ending Debt (£ million) 
			 31 March 2013 30,358 
			 31 March 2012 27,281 
			 31 March 2011 25,049

Railways: Shropshire

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will hold discussions with Network Rail on restoring a direct rail link from Shropshire to London.

Patrick McLoughlin: I announced to the House on 6 December 2012, Official Report, columns 1018-19, that I would welcome direct rail services to Blackpool and Shrewsbury from London. Virgin Trains has made an application to Network Rail seeking paths to run those services.
	Network Rail has assessed Virgins Trains' application for additional Track Access rights on the West Coast mainline and rejected the application for the additional services on the basis that it would be detrimental to performance.
	This matter is now being considered by the independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), which is responsible for Track Access applications.

Speed Limits: Driving Offences

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed awareness courses were undertaken in each (a) region and (b) constituent part of the UK in each of the last three years; and what the cost of undertaking such a course was in each such area in each such year.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold this information. This information would be held by individual police forces and the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme.

Swindon-Kemble Railway Line

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of progress on the redoubling of the Kemble-Swindon railway.

Simon Burns: The project is on schedule and ready for completion in 2014.

Thameslink Railway Line

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress he has made in drawing up a management-style contract for the next Thameslink franchise.

Simon Burns: The management-style contract for the next Thameslink franchise is currently being developed in close consultation with the pre-qualified bidders. The invitation to tender is due to be issued in September 2013.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Telephone Switchboard

Simon Hughes: To ask the hon. Member for Aberdeen North, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment he has made of the performance of the parliamentary telephone switchboard.

John Thurso: The switchboard is an outsourced service. Capita is the current service provider. Formal monthly service reviews take place between the House and Capita.
	Capita has met its call handling target of answering 90% of calls in 10 seconds. The average answer time was 4.5 seconds. Since the relocation of the service to Southampton, some feedback has been received about misdirected calls and the speed with which requests for diverts are applied. The House is working with Capita to resolve these issues.

Parliamentary Tours

Jessica Morden: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent discussions the Commission has had on the availability of tours for constituents of the parliamentary estate.

John Thurso: The Commission's most recent discussion about the provision of tours was in June 2012 in the context of the Administration Committee's report on visitor access and facilities. The report and the Commission's response were debated in Westminster Hall on 4 September 2012.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how much the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, 24 June 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for figures relating to legal advice sought by IPSA.
	The information requested is provided below. It is not possible to separate the costs of legal advice from the costs of other services provided by lawyers. Therefore the figures produced below cover expenditure on all services provided by lawyers for the relevant periods.
	
		
			 External Legal Services 
			  Expenditure (£) 
			 Between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 351,714.40 
			 Between 4 September 2012 and 7 June 2013 185,745.07

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how much the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, 25 June 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for figures relating to legal advice sought by IPSA.
	It is not possible to provide the information requested, as expenditure on Queen's Counsel is not recorded separately from other legal services.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority since 7 May 2010 has been.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, 25 June 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for figures relating to legal advice sought by IPSA.
	It is not possible to provide the information requested as to do so would, in conjunction with other information in the public domain, breach commercial confidentiality.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 were; to whom such payments were made; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 25 June 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for information relating to legal advice sought by IPSA.
	The figures requested are provided in the table below. It is not possible to separate the costs of legal advice from the costs of other services provided by lawyers. Therefore the figures produced below cover expenditure on all legal services for the relevant periods.
	These figures are shown divided by calendar year and by the value of invoice paid. The invoices do not separately identify costs attributable to specific matters and are aggregated with other costs over varying time periods and so are not directly comparable. Where there were fewer than 20 invoices paid in each year, the values of all invoices paid are shown.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010  
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 36,284.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 28,605.38 
			 Treasury Solicitors 24,433.77 
			 Bird & Bird LLP 18,181.95 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 11,527.46 
			 Treasury Solicitors 10,928.91 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 10,852.72 
			 Treasury Solicitors 8,460.00 
			 Bird & Bird LLP 7,527.88 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 6,358.51 
			 Treasury Solicitors 6,121.95 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 6,028.93 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,358.66 
			 Monckton Chambers 3,331.11 
			 Treasury Solicitors 2,405.23 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 2,331.79 
			 Notary Co UK 17.50 
			   
			 2011  
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 7,215.60 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 7,200.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 6,815.52 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 6,214.80 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 6,011.88 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 6,000.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,500.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,218.36 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,174.80 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 2,822.40 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 2,050.80 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 1,940.40 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 1,662.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 1,354.20 
			 Bird & Bird LLP 1,086.88 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 615.60 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 529.20 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 473.40 
			 Trethowans Solicitors 12.00 
			   
			 2012  
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 13,902.25 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 13,043.40 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 12,279.60 
		
	
	
		
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 10,768.08 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 9,233.40 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 9,230.47 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 9,220.74 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 8,946.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 6,856.20 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 5,790.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 5,401.80 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 5,331.60 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,830.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,638.60 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,561.20 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,518.00 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 4,338.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 4,176.00 
			 Addleshaw Goddard LLP 3,574.80 
			 Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP 2,424.00

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Grand Committees

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  in what locations the (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scottish and (c) Welsh Grand Committees have met in each session of this Parliament;
	(2)  how many meetings there have been of the (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scottish and (c) Welsh Grand Committees in each session of this Parliament.

Andrew Lansley: The information is as follows:
	(a) There were two sittings of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee in session 2010-12, both at Westminster. The Committee did not sit in session 2012-13, and there have been no sittings so far this session.
	(b) There have been no sittings of the Scottish Grand Committee so far in this Parliament.
	(c) There were 11 sittings of the Welsh Grand Committee in session 2010-12. Ten were held at Westminster; one in Wrexham. There were four sittings of the Welsh Grand Committee in session 2012-13, all at Westminster. There have been two sittings of the Welsh Grand Committee so far in the current session, both at Westminster.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Hunting Act 2004

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received regarding potential amendments to the Hunting Act 2004 in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: In the last 12 months DEFRA has received a variety of representations both for and against a repeal of the Hunting Act 2004 from Members of Parliament and the public. This includes 114 pieces of correspondence from Members of Parliament and the public, according to DEFRA's correspondence database.

Social Enterprises

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of his Department's suppliers are social enterprises.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA suppliers are not required to provide this information. DEFRA does have some data on which suppliers are social enterprises, a charity or a voluntary sector organisation. This is too incomplete to provide a reliable response.

CABINET OFFICE

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  when his Department first informed the Big Lottery Fund that the Big Society Network Foundation's Get In campaign had been put on hold and its funding had been ended; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 739W, on the Big Society Network, if he will publish the objectives of the Society Network Foundation's Get In campaign; and what progress had been made against each objective before his Department took the decision to end support for it; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Cabinet Office did not inform Big Lottery Fund of its decision to end funding for the Society Network Foundation's Get In Campaign because it is not normal practice to inform external organisations of a decision made regarding a grant recipient.
	The Cabinet Office has supplied a copy of the BSN and Sports Leader's UK quarter 1 monitoring report for the Get In campaign to the House of Common's Library; this sets out objectives for the Get In campaign and progress against these.

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 517W, on the third sector, how the £350,000 allocated to the Big Society Network to support his Department in allocating the Big Society Awards was spent; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: This grant payment was allocated to the Big Society Network (BSN) to support the delivery of aspects of the Big Society Awards process and to promote and support the Big Society agenda. As stated in my answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 517W, this included the design and development of the website:
	www.bigsocietyawards.org
	to raise the profile of the awards and to increase the number of awards announced, as well as to promote social action more widely and to support and accelerate social entrepreneurs and social innovators.
	Further details of BSN's work are on their website:
	http://www.thebigsociety.co.uk/

Death

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths there were in each constituency in each month between October 2012 and March 2013.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths there were in each constituency in each month between October 2012 and March 2013. (161832)
	The numbers of deaths for parliamentary constituencies are not routinely published, but 2012 data will be available on request after 10 July 2013. Equivalent 2013 data will be available in Summer 2014.
	Provisional figures showing the number of deaths registered each month by local authority district are published on the ONS website. The latest figures available are for May 2013:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob2/monthly-figures-on-deaths-registered-by-area-of-usual-residence--england-and-wales/index.html

Mobile Phones: Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent representations he has received on the cyber security of mobile telephones.

Chloe Smith: Regular discussions take place between Ministers and officials across government as appropriate to address information security and assurance requirements and policies for government. In line with the practice of previous Administrations, details of such meetings are not normally disclosed. In addition, officials are in regular contact and have working-level relationships with the telecommunications industry.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 693W.

Unemployment

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the current level of unemployment is in (a) each parliamentary constituency in Glasgow, (b) each city in Scotland and (c) each city in the rest of the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the current level of unemployment is in (a) each parliamentary constituency in Glasgow, (b) each city in Scotland and (c) each city in the rest of the UK (162272).
	The Office for National Statistics does not produce unemployment statistics for cities. As an alternative we have provided the unemployment level and rate for local authorities in Scotland and the rest of the UK using model based estimates of unemployment, which are only available for local authorities, for January to December 2012, the latest available period.
	ONS compiles labour market statistics for other local geographies from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Whilst the APS does collect data on unemployment, no reliable estimates can be produced for parliamentary constituencies in Glasgow.
	As an alternative I have provided the number and percentage of people aged 16 to 64 who were claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in May 2013, the latest available period, for parliamentary constituencies in Glasgow. I've have also provided this information for local authorities in Scotland and the rest of the UK for comparison purposes. A copy of the tables has been placed in the Library of the House.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Buildings: Energy

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any infraction or derogation proceedings in respect of the UK's implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive regulations have been commenced by the European Commission; and whether he is aware that any such proceedings are likely to be initiated.

Don Foster: holding answer 25 June 2013
	My Department is not currently involved in any formal infraction litigation proceedings in respect of the UK's implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
	We have recently received a letter seeking clarification on a technical issue of holiday lets in England and Wales, and we are currently in discussions with the Commission on this issue, and hope to resolve it in a satisfactory manner.

Fire Extinguishers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what categories of buildings have fire sprinklers installed as a mandatory requirement.

Don Foster: The provisions of Approved Document B set out which categories of buildings should be fitted with sprinkler systems to satisfy the requirements of building regulations in England. These are:
	Blocks of flats, office buildings, shops and commercial buildings, assembly and recreation buildings, and storage buildings—where they exceed 30 metres in height.
	Shops—where any one storey exceeds 2,000 square metres in area.
	Commercial buildings, assembly and recreation buildings—where they have more than one storey and any one storey exceeds 2,000 square metres in area.
	Industrial buildings—where any one storey exceeds 7,000 square metres in area. Or where they exceed 18 metres in height, and any one storey exceeds 2,000 square metres in area.
	Storage buildings—with only one storey, where that storey exceeds 20,000 square metres in area (or 18 metres in height). Or where they have more than one storey and any one storey exceeds 20,000 cubic metres in volume or where they exceed 18 metres in height, and any one storey exceeds 4,000 square metres in area.
	There are also provisions for the installation of sprinklers in other buildings, such as certain types of dwelling houses and care homes, which allow greater flexibility in design.

Floods: Finance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been (a) claimed by and (b) paid out to each local authority under the Bellwin scheme as a result of flooding in each year since 2007-08.

Brandon Lewis: Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency in their area. The level of funding over time is causally linked to the scale of the flooding. It operates by local authorities retrospectively claiming spending back.
	The following table sets out amounts claimed by local authorities and paid by DCLG under the Bellwin scheme for flood related incidents in financial years 2007-08 to date. Payments for the remaining 2012-13 Bellwin claims will be made in July 2013.
	
		
			 Bellwin flood related payments 2007-08 to 2012-13 
			 £ 
			  Bellwin claimed Outside scope of scheme Bellwin grant paid 
			 2007-08 22,787,812 5,279,000 17,508,812 
			 2008-09 1,956,316 20,635 1,935,681 
			 2009-10 1,344,666 0 1,344,666 
			 2010-11 1,133,696 244,155 889,541 
			 2011-12 0 0 0 
			 2012-13 (to date) 5,895,788 75,091 688,937 
			 Total 33,118,278 5,618,881 22,367,637 
			 Note: Payments may not necessarily be in the same financial year as the incidents occurred. The amount claimed is net of threshold and grant rate.

Landlords: Licensing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will consider making failure to meet the Housing Health and Safety Rating System a criterion for allowing selective licensing of landlords.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 24 June 2013
	The Housing Act 2004 permits local authorities, subject to carrying out a consultation, to license all private landlords in a designated area that is suffering from low housing demand and/or antisocial behaviour. The purpose of selective licensing is to address the adverse, cumulative impact that poor management by some landlords and/or antisocial behaviour by some tenants can have in the community. Selective licensing is only concerned with the management of privately rented dwellings, not the condition of the property.
	Notwithstanding that, the 2004 Act also introduced the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, which is designed to assess the presence and severity of a range of hazards in the home, such as excess cold, fire and electrical hazards. This allows action to be taken by councils against individual properties which are substandard or dangerous.

Local Government Services: Per Capita Costs

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the effect of population density on the cost of delivering local government services;
	(2)  which specific services in the environmental, cultural and protective services block have given rise to additional funding because of the effect of population density in the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Population density and sparsity feature within a number of the Relative Needs Formulae used in settlement calculations. Detail of the methodology used for Relative Needs Formulae is available in the formula funding document presented as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2013-14 and is available at:
	www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/calcffs.pdf
	The formula for the environmental, cultural and protective services block covers the calculation of a number of services. Formula grant and Revenue Support Grant are unhypothecated block grants and it is therefore not possible to set out how much funding is provided for any particular service.

Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times Ministers of his Department have attended the inter-ministerial group on drugs since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: In line with the convention under previous Administrations, it is not usual practice to disclose details of Cabinet committee and other inter-ministerial discussions.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by the Minister of State, Home Department, the hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne) to PQ 161582.

Working Neighbourhoods Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent through the Working Neighbourhoods Fund in each of the principal seaside towns in each year of the fund's existence.

Brandon Lewis: The Working Neighbourhoods Fund ran from 2008-09 to 2010-11. The grant was paid to local authorities, and not to town or parish councils; thus there are no figures available for seaside towns.
	A table showing the allocations for all local authorities has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The fund was a time-limited, three-year programme that ended as originally scheduled in March 2011. More information can be found in a deposited paper from February 2011, available in the Library and online at:
	http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2011-0295/DEP2011-0295.tif

World War II: Genocide

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial support the Government has given to holocaust memorial groups in each year since 1997.

Don Foster: The UK Holocaust Memorial Day was first held in January 2001 and has since been held on 27 January every year. Until 2005, responsibility for delivering Holocaust Memorial Day lay with the Home Office. Since 2005 Holocaust Memorial Day and related activities have been delivered by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, an independent charity set up by the Government to deliver the annual Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is the only Holocaust memorial group the Government fund.
	The approximate spend for 2002-04 was £280,000. Financial support for the Holocaust Memorial Trust is detailed as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2005-06 500,000 
			 2006-07 500,000 
			 2007-08 500,000 
			 2008-09 500,000 
			 2009-10 750,000 
			 2010-11 750,000 
			 2011-12 750,000 
			 2012-13 750,000 
			 2013-14 904,000

TREASURY

Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in the private office of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury received a performance-related bonus in the last two financial years.

Sajid Javid: Fewer than five staff have received performance bonuses in the last two financial years. We do not give numbers where they are fewer than five as this could risk identifying individuals.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how long he plans to permit businesses with fewer than 50 employees to submit PAYE information monthly rather than in real time; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recognise that some small employers who pay employees weekly, or more frequently, but currently only process their payroll monthly may need longer to adapt to reporting PAYE information in real time. HMRC have therefore agreed a transitional relaxation for RTI reporting requirements for smaller employers.
	This relaxation means that employers with fewer than 50 employees, who find it difficult to report every payment to employees at the time of payment, may send information to HMRC by the date of their regular payroll run, but no later than the end of the tax month in which the payments are made. This extra time will enable these businesses to adapt their processes so that they can comply with the new legislation.
	HMRC has recently announced that it is planning to maintain this temporary relaxation for those employers to April 2014. This will avoid employers having to change their processes during the year.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many visitors visited tax-exempt heritage assets in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  whether he records the number of visits by the public to each tax-exempt heritage asset.

David Gauke: Information about visitor numbers to tax-exempt heritage assets is not available.
	HMRC does not record the number of visits by the public to each tax exempt heritage asset.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the terms of the tax-exempt heritage assets regime were last reviewed.

David Gauke: The Government keeps all tax policies, reliefs and exemptions under review. Major changes were made to the provisions in 1998 to extend public access. Since then minor changes have been made in 2006 and 2008.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the owners of tax-exempt heritage assets are required to loan them to national or local galleries and museums.

David Gauke: There is no specific requirement for owners of tax-exempt heritage assets to loan them to galleries and museums. However, depending on the nature of the asset and the terms of the undertakings they agree to, owners may choose to have them on display in galleries or museums to fulfil the public access requirement and meet the conditions to qualify for the tax exemption.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the tax-exempt heritage assets as a contribution to public enjoyment of heritage assets.

David Gauke: The tax exemption scheme for heritage assets preserves and protects over 70,000 national heritage items and collections, which may have otherwise been sold or taken out of the UK, for the benefit of the public. It also ensures that the public have access to heritage assets in private ownership which they would otherwise not see.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the annual cost of offering the tax exemption for heritage assets.

David Gauke: An estimate of the annual cost of offering the inheritance tax exemption for heritage assets for 2011-12 and 2012-13 is published in the HM Revenue and Customs Minor Tax Expenditures and structural reliefs table, available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/expenditures/table-b1.pdf
	The estate duty exemption for heritage assets is estimated to currently have a negligible cost for the Exchequer (ie less than £3 million per year).
	The Exchequer cost of the capital gains tax exemption for heritage assets is not known.

Taxation: Business

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that large UK companies pay correct amounts of tax.

David Gauke: The Government are fully committed to supporting the international efforts to address Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) by multinational enterprises, through the OECD and G20.
	At the recent summit in Lough Erne, the G8 leaders welcomed the OECD work on addressing BEPS and emphasised the importance of the OECD developing an ambitious and comprehensive action plan for presentation to the G20 in July.

Work Experience

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much was secured in unpaid wages for people identifying as interns, volunteers or work experience in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12;
	(2)  how many cases HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has investigated for the non-payment of the national minimum wage in relation to people identifying as interns, volunteers or work experience workers in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; and how many instances of non-compliance HMRC has discovered through such investigations in each such year;
	(3)  how many complaints HM Revenue and Customs has received regarding non-payment of the national minimum wage from people identifying as interns, volunteers or work experience workers in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

David Gauke: HMRC does not have figures relating to the period before August 2011 as it did not specifically collect information on whether workers making complaints about non-payment of the minimum wage were interns, volunteers or work experience workers before then. Of the complaints received between August 2011 and the end of that financial year, three cases were completed but no arrears were identified in those cases.
	The number of investigations completed and the number of non-compliant employers identified by HMRC, in these for the years requested, is in the following table:
	
		
			 Calendar year Number of completed investigations Number of cases of non-compliance 
			 2010 (1)— (1)— 
			 2011 (from August 2011) 3 0 
			 2012 34 9 
			 2013 15 4 
			 (1 )Unavailable 
		
	
	The number of complaints received from the workers described in each of the years requested is in the following table:
	
		
			 Calendar year Number of worker complaints 
			 2010 (1)— 
			 2011 (from August 2011) 20 
			 2012 50 
			 2013 37 
			 (1) Unavailable

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the University College Hospital, Royal Free, The Whittington, Barnet General, North Middlesex and Chase Farm on the future plans for accident and emergency and hospital care; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Health Ministers have not held recent discussions with any of the named trusts. Planning for the future provision of accident and emergency and other hospital care is a matter for the trusts themselves, working closely with local commissioners of health care services.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Rehabilitation

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that health and wellbeing strategies addressing alcohol and drugs treatment are being developed by local authorities.

Norman Lamb: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 places a duty on local authorities and each of its partner clinical commissioning group to undertake Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs), and prepare Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies (JHWSs) through health and wellbeing boards.
	JSNAs and JHWSs are local strategic planning processes; we therefore do not monitor them centrally in the Department. JSNAs are the means by which the current and future health and well-being needs of the local population, will be determined through health and wellbeing boards. This will then be used to develop locally agreed priorities in JHWSs, which will underpin local commissioning plans. In this way, health and wellbeing boards will plan local services on the basis of identified needs. JSNAs will therefore need to cover the health and care needs of the whole local population and may well include drug and alcohol treatment. However, it would not be appropriate for the Department to highlight any care group or area of need over another as this would risk undermining the purpose of JSNAs and JHWSs being objective, comprehensive and, most importantly, locally-owned processes of developing evidence based priorities for commissioning.

Ambulance Services: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the consequences of closing Corby ambulance station on the ability of the ambulance trust to meet the eight and 19 minute targets.

Anna Soubry: The East Midlands Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust consulted on the Being the Best proposals between September and December 2012.
	Lincolnshire county council referred those proposals to the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on 25 March 2013, who subsequently requested initial advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.
	That advice is due to be submitted to the Secretary of State no later than 28 June 2013.

Bounty Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of recent reports that Bounty paid NHS trusts to allow salespeople access to maternity wards.

Anna Soubry: It is for individual trusts to make decisions about representatives from Bounty or any other organisation being allowed on maternity wards.
	The Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter), has written to all national health service trusts, NHS foundation trusts and heads of midwifery asking them to review their practices for allowing representatives from private companies on maternity wards and to assure themselves that they are maintaining women's dignity and respect shortly after the birth of a baby when they can be tired and vulnerable.

Diabetes: Children

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which bodies in the NHS have responsibility for funding the replacement of out-of-warranty insulin pumps for paediatric patients with diabetes.

Anna Soubry: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialist endocrinology and diabetes services for children and young people as part of its specialised services. This service includes the provision of insulin pumps and replacement pumps where clinically appropriate.

Health Services: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on his views on London's future health needs.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), met the Mayor of London on 27 March 2013. Their discussion covered a number of health issues relating to London.

Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce deaths from heart disease; and if he will make funding available to Northern Ireland to improve cardiovascular outcomes.

Anna Soubry: Health is a devolved matter, and funding to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly.
	Reducing mortality and improving outcomes for people with heart disease and other CVDs in England is a key priority for this Government. The indicator ‘Under 75 mortality fate from all cardiovascular diseases' is included in both the Public Health and NHS Outcome Frameworks and the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set. NHS England works to improve the quality of NHS services and is held to account through the Mandate.
	In March 2013 we published the ‘CVD Outcomes Strategy’. The strategy sets out key actions for commissioners and providers to improve outcomes in CVD.

Hospitals

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is made available to accommodate families that choose to stay beside an ill family member whilst in extended care in hospital.

Anna Soubry: The provision made to accommodate families that choose to stay beside an ill family member while in extended care in hospital is a matter for the providing health care organisation to determine.
	The Department publishes guidance on the design of hospitals in support of the regard national health service organisations have to have to the NHS Constitution's pledge of providing services from a:
	‘clean and safe environment that is fit for purpose, based on national best practice.'
	The design guidance for in-patient care recognises that ‘relatives and visitors are encouraged to be more involved in patient care and support' (‘Health Building Note 04-01: Adult in-patient facilities, Department of Health, 2009’) and ‘Health Building Note 00-03: Clinical and clinical support spaces’ (Department of Health, 2013) gives spatial guidance on ‘receiving visitors’ at the bedside and ‘space for a relative's overnight stay bed'.
	Guidance for the design of more specialised in-patient departments—such as children and young people and intensive care facilities—similarly addresses accommodating the needs of visitor and relatives.
	Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Library and are available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-in-patient-facilities
	and:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-and-layout-of-generic-clinical-and-clinical-support-spaces

Hospitals: Parking

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of NHS trusts that hold contracts with car parking management companies for hospital car parks.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department.
	National health service organisations are responsible locally for decisions on the management of car parking, including whether it is provided in-house or outsourced.

Hospitals: Trafford

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 160W, on hospitals: Trafford, if he will place the initial advice which he has received from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in the Library.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), is currently considering the initial advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel concerning a New Health Deal for Trafford, and will make his decision in due course.

Independent Midwives UK

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to address the concerns raised by representatives of Independent Midwives UK in their meeting with his Department in May 2013.

Anna Soubry: Independent Midwives UK (IM UK) met the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter), to discuss their concerns about implementation of the European Directive on Patients' Rights in Cross Border Healthcare which requires all. health professionals to have indemnity or insurance in order to practise. In particular they were concerned that it is difficult for independent midwives who are practising in a self-employed capacity to obtain appropriate cover.
	As part of the public consultation on this matter, people were asked to identify barriers to obtaining insurance and officials are now analysing the responses to the consultation. Departmental officials and NHS England are meeting with IM UK in early July to discuss what commissioning arrangements could be used by IM UK members to support their practice. We are in continuing dialogue with IM UK to understand the barriers to their on-going practice with particular attention to alternative operating models to enable them to find the best solution.

Jackie Holt

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  on what date and by whom the decision was taken to request the secondment of Jackie Holt from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust to Warrington and Halton NHS Trust; and what consultation on this decision was undertaken with (a) Monitor, (b) the Care Quality Commission, (c) the relevant local area team, (d) NHS England and (e) his Department; and what involvement each such body had in this decision;
	(2)  for what reason it was proposed to second Jackie Holt from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust to Warrington and Halton NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The decision to second an employee to another organisation is a local employment matter and is taken by the employer concerned. Sourcing and approving any particular secondment are operational matters for the trusts involved.
	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay is a Foundation Trust and as such the Department has no involvement in employment decisions of this nature.
	We are advised no consultations were held with Monitor, NHS England or the Care Quality Commission on the decision to request a secondment to the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
	We have written to John Cowdall, chair of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the hon. Member's inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Ketamine

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department had made of the number of ketamine-related hospital admissions in each of the last five years in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK.

Anna Soubry: Data on ketamine-related hospital admissions are not collected centrally. This is because the International Classification of Diseases, used to collect data on hospital admissions, does not separately identify drug poisoning by ketamine.

Mental Health Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to require mental health services to collect data on children whose parents or carers have mental health difficulties.

Norman Lamb: The Department is considering how best to meet the recommendations of the recent report by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission which recommended collecting information on children whose parents or carers have mental health difficulties.

Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times Ministers of his Department have attended the inter-ministerial group on drugs since May 2010.

Anna Soubry: The Department's Ministers regularly attend the Inter-Ministerial Group on Drugs. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to publish details of such meetings.

NHS: Drugs

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by NHS trusts in London on (a) anti-retroviral HIV drugs and (b) anti-cancer drugs in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: Expenditure by national health service trusts in London, as defined by the former London strategic health authority (SHA), is provided for both anti-retroviral HIV medicines and anti-cancer medicines.
	London generally has a larger proportion of its medicines costs going through hospitals than other SHAs as patients from areas surrounding London are likely to travel to London hospitals for some treatments.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Drug type Year Primary care cost(1) Secondary care cost(2) 
			 Anti-retroviral HIV(3) 2008 (4)321.0 175,398.3 
			  2009 502.4 191,720.7 
			  2010 642.0 206,752.9 
			  2011 555.5 214,542.6 
			  2012 539.4 215,484.2 
			     
			 Anti-cancer(5) 2008 (4)17,299.8 112,677.5 
			  2009 23,486.3 131,052.7 
			  2010 22,461.9 147,571.4 
			  2011 20,958.7 157,944.3 
			  2012 (6)13,017.2 171,445.4 
			 (1) Net ingredient cost. (2) Cost of medicines at NHS list price and not necessarily the price paid. (3) As classified within British National Formulary (BNF) section 5.3.1 ‘HIV infection’. (4) Information for 2008 primary care costs is only available for May-December 2008. (5) As classified within BNF section 8.1 ‘Cytotoxic drugs’, paragraph 8.2.3 ‘Anti-lymphocyte monoclonal antibodies’, paragraph 8.2.4 ‘Other immunomodulating drugs’ (Aldesleukin, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (B.C.G.), Lenalidomide and Thalidomide (Immunomodulating) only), section 8.3 ‘Sex hormones and hormone antagonists in malignant disease’. (6) The main reason for the lower cost is the large reduction in the cost per item price for three drugs, as lower-cost generic formulations became available (Anastrozole, Exemestane and Letrozole). These are mainly used in primary care; therefore there was not the comparable reduction in secondary care costs. Sources: 1. Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (PACT) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services. 2. IMS data. Hospital Pharmacy Audit. Some supplies through homecare providers may not be captured, therefore cost estimates may be under-stated.

NHS: Equality

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the provision of medical care is equal for those with physical and mental disabilities.

Norman Lamb: The Mandate to the national health service expects NHS England to ensure that mental health and physical health are given equal priority. By March 2015, we expect the NHS to demonstrate measurable progress towards achieving true parity of esteem, where everyone who needs it has timely access to evidence-based services.
	The NHS Outcomes Framework 2013-14 sets out the outcomes and corresponding indicators that will be used to hold NHS England to account for the outcomes it delivers through commissioning health services. Reducing premature death in people with serious mental illness and people with a learning disability are identified as improvement areas.
	The NHS Operating Framework for 2013-14 specifically talks about a focus on the physical health care of people affected by mental illness for the coming year and also that the NHS should ensure momentum is maintained in improving care and outcomes for people with learning disabilities.
	The Mandate to the NHS expects NHS England to ensure that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) work with local authorities to ensure that vulnerable people, particularly those with learning disabilities and autism, receive safe, appropriate, high quality care.
	The Equality Act 2010 requires NHS bodies, and those carrying out public functions on their behalf, to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which may include providing more appropriate services. This statutory duty aims to ensure that a disabled person can use a service as close as reasonably possible to the standard usually offered to non-disabled people. NHS bodies must think in advance and on an on-going basis about what disabled people with a range of impairments that use their services might reasonably need.
	The Department is currently in discussions with its partners about publishing further guidance on making reasonable adjustments in health care settings.

NHS: Negligence

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authorities dealing with instances of medical negligence against disabled people.

Anna Soubry: No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of local authorities in dealing with instances of medical negligence against disabled people.

NHS: Procurement

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts for outsourced NHS (a) patient, (b) administrative, (c) IT and (d) other services have been ended early in the last five years; whether he makes a routine assessment of the (i) adequacy and (ii) transparency of foundation trust procurement where contracts to outsource services are prematurely ended; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Information on the management and termination of contracts at individual national health service trusts and NHS foundation trusts is not held centrally. The Department does not generally hold information centrally about NHS contracts because it is local NHS bodies themselves which are the procuring authorities and are accountable and responsible for decisions concerning the performance of the contract and the contractor.
	NHS foundation trusts are accountable to Monitor for complying with their duty to exercise functions effectively, efficiently and economically.

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of job losses proposed as part of the Whittington NHS Trust policy of applying for Foundation Trust status.

Anna Soubry: The NHS Trust Development Authority has advised the Department that there are no plans for significant overall reduction in Whittington Health NHS Trust's work force.

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he expects the Whittington Health Trust to achieve Foundation Trust status.

Anna Soubry: The NHS Trust Development Authority has advised the Department that achieving foundation trust status will come as a result of Whittington Health NHS Trust demonstrating that it is able to deliver high quality, sustainable services for its patients.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the Government are taking to help negotiate a new international agreement on climate change by 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Government are strongly committed to securing by 2015, an ambitious legally, binding global climate change agreement covering all countries, to come into force from 2020. In order to achieve this we will continue to work with our partners in the European Union, and across the world, through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other relevant multilateral fora.
	This year, we have already made good progress in recent negotiations in Bonn, where all countries held positive discussions about the nature of emissions reductions commitments for all and what other elements will form the scope, structure and design of the new agreement in 2015.These discussions will continue at the next Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Warsaw, in November this year.

Energy

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1246W, on energy, whether the threshold at which energy suppliers are required to participate in social and environmental programmes will be reviewed in 2013-14.

Michael Fallon: The Government continue to monitor the impact of the customer number threshold at which suppliers are required to participate in social and environmental programmes. We have no specific plans to change it, but continue to welcome all views and evidence.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 460W, on the Green Deal scheme, what estimate he has made of how many Green Deal advisers and installer operatives will have completed their training by the end of 2013.

Gregory Barker: 795 Green Deal advisers have now completed their training with support from DECC funding. A maximum of 47 advisers are due to complete their training by 31 July 2013. All 751 installer operatives are due to have completed their training by the end of 2013.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 29 February 2013, Official Report, column 308W, on the Green Deal scheme, what discussions his Department has had with officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government on preparations in the private rental sector for the 2018 deadline.

Gregory Barker: There are ongoing discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to prepare the private rental sector for the 2018 deadline. Working groups are being held between February and summer 2013 to discuss the introduction of the regulations in 2018. Working group members include DCLG and a range of other key industry stakeholders.

Sizewell B Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what reports he has received from the Office for Nuclear Regulation on its special risk assessment of the pressure vessel of the Sizewell B pressurised water reactor conducted following the serious flaws found in two Belgian PWR pressure vessels at Doel 3 and Thiange 2.

Michael Fallon: In light of the discovery of defects at Doel 3 power station in Belgium, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) provided a brief, in August 2012, alerting the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to the situation and outlining that further investigation was needed.
	Subsequently, in April 2013, a full assessment report reviewing the manufacturing records and existing safety case at Sizewell B was published on the ONR website. The ONR judge that the validity of the reactor pressure vessel safety case for Sizewell B is not affected by the recent observation of flaws at Doel 3 and Tihange 2 in Belgium.
	The ONR's position on Sizewell B is given in the assessment report published on the ONR's website.

Social Enterprises

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department's suppliers are social enterprises.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not hold this information in its accounting systems, and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate costs.

World War II: Medals

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 415W, according to what criteria applicants for the Bevin Boys Veterans Badge were assessed.

Michael Fallon: Unlike those called up to serve in the armed forces, who were paid by the Crown, the Bevan Boys were employed by the individual mining companies and as such there is no central record of their service. Therefore, in order to meet the criteria for the Bevan Boys Badge individuals are asked to complete an application form and confirm that they were called up or volunteered under the scheme between 1943 and 1948 and were aged between 18 and 25 years of age at that time. In the majority of cases they would have undertaken a period of training at a number of specified training pits and information about that is therefore also sought.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many out-of-court disposals were recommended by the Crown Prosecution Service for offences of (a) child abuse, (b) crimes against an older person, (c) forced marriage, (d) homophobic and transphobic hate crimes, (e) honour crimes, (f) racist hate crime and (g) religious hate crime in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) each of the previous five years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records the number of cases referred for pre-charge advice and where a decision was made to issue either a simple caution, conditional caution, reprimand or final warning.
	The CPS identifies cases involving the offences in question by way of a monitoring ‘flag'. The figures in the following table show the decisions made at the pre-charge stage where a flag was applied. The data do not capture whether the decision to issue a caution or other out of court disposal was related to the flagged offence or allegation or other criminality evident on the file following a decision that there should be no further action in respect of the substantive offence. The case would remain flagged even after such a decision.
	
		
			 Child abuse flagged 
			  Out of court disposals All pre charge decisions 
			 2007-08 378 11,542 
			 2008-09 320 11,094 
			 2009-10 294 12,688 
			 2010-11 332 13,018 
			 2011-12 231 11,613 
			 2012-13 190 9,381 
		
	
	
		
			 Crimes against an older person 
			  Out of court disposals All pre charge decisions 
			 2007-08(1) — — 
			 2008-09 25 1,494 
			 2009-10 28 2,194 
			 2010-11 30 2,978 
			 2011-12 34 2,989 
			 2012-13 18 2,839 
			 (1) Not recorded prior to 2008-09. 
		
	
	
		
			 Forced marriage 
			  Out of court disposals All pre charge decisions 
			 2007-08 0 15 
			 2008-09 2 18 
			 2009-10 4 69 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 0 46 
			 2011-12 0 51 
			 2012-13 0 59 
		
	
	
		
			 Homophobic/Transphobic 
			  Out of court disposals All pre charge decisions 
			 2007-08 49 1,219 
			 2008-09 42 1,090 
			 2009-10 41 1,373 
			 2010-11 31 1,384 
			 2011-12 26 1,368 
			 2012-13 16 1,107 
		
	
	
		
			 Honour crime 
			  Out of court disposals All pre charge decisions 
			 2007-08 0 106 
			 2008-09 2 127 
			 2009-10 0 209 
			 2010-11 0 288 
			 2011-12 0 262 
			 2012-13 2 230 
		
	
	
		
			 Racist hate crime 
			  Out of court disposals All pre charge decisions 
			 2007-08 311 11,215 
			 2008-09 258 10,730 
			 2009-10 283 11,484 
			 2010-11 241 11,949 
			 2011-12 207 11,499 
			 2012-13 164 10,052 
		
	
	
		
			 Religious hate crime 
			  Out of court disposals All pre charge decisions 
			 2007-08 12 281 
			 2008-09 8 351 
			 2009-10 6 316 
			 2010-11 3 411 
			 2011-12 5 419 
			 2012-13 3 297

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions for offences of cruelty to animals were brought by (a) the Crown Prosecution Service and (b) the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the five years prior to the amendment of paragraph 96 of the Adult Court Bench Book in November/December 2010 and in each year since.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted, as individual defendants may have been charged with more than one offence. The number of offences of cruelty to animals prosecuted by the CPS since 2006 is provided in a table which has been deposited in the Library of the House.
	The CPS does not record details of private prosecutions that are not referred to it.

Fraud: Prosecutions

David Simpson: To ask the Attorney-General how many corporate prosecutions the Serious Fraud Office undertook in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the five preceding years.

Oliver Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry), on 18 June 2013, Official Report, columns 602-03W.

Offences Against Children: Internet

David Simpson: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has recommended out-of-court disposal for cases of the downloading and viewing of indecent images of children in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: No central record is maintained of the number of out-of-court disposals recommended in cases involving indecent images of children. This information could be obtained only by examining files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Police: Wales

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  if he will instruct the Director of Public Prosecutions to publish in full the report by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate into the collapse of prosecutions of alleged police corruption surrounding the investigation into the murder of Lynette White in 1988;
	(2)  whether the report by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate into the collapse of prosecutions of alleged police corruption surrounding the investigation into the murder of Lynette White in 1988 is critical of the Director of Public Prosecutions;
	(3)  how many of the lawyers criticised in the report by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate into the collapse of prosecutions of alleged police corruption surrounding the investigation into the murder of Lynette White in 1988 are still employed by the Crown Prosecution Service;
	(4)  whether the Crown Prosecution Service intends to make public all names of lawyers criticised in the report by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate into the collapse of prosecutions of alleged police corruption surrounding the investigation into the murder of Lynette White in 1988.

Oliver Heald: In January 2012, the DPP initiated a review of the circumstances which led to the discontinuance of the trial of eight former police officers accused of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in South Wales (R v. Mouncher and others). As part of that review, Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, an independent statutory body, was asked to consider the way in which the prosecution team conducted the disclosure exercise in this case. Simultaneously, South Wales Police referred their part in this matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
	The CPS has now received the HMCPSI report and has already made clear that it intends to publish it shortly. This would be alongside the report by the IPCC.

RSPCA

Karl McCartney: To ask the Attorney-General how many claims for trespass and wrongful detention of property have been brought against the RSPCA since 2010.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of prosecutions brought in criminal proceedings against a particular organisation. This information could be obtained by consulting individual files only at a disproportionate cost.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost of moving the headquarters of British forces from Lashkar Gah to Camp Bastion.

Andrew Robathan: The rough order of magnitude for the move is estimated to be £1.9 million.

Defence: Expenditure

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of gross domestic product he estimates will be spent on defence in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Philip Hammond: The UK will meet NATO's target of spending 2% of GDP on defence for the duration of this Parliament and, as announced at the spending round, in the financial year 2015-16.

Iraq

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make representations to the World Health Organisation for the immediate publication of its report into the health effects of the Iraq war.

Andrew Robathan: No.

WALES

Official Engagements

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list his official engagements for (a) 21 June 2013, (b) 22 June 2013 and (c) 23 June 2013.

David Jones: I had no official engagements on these dates.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Counter-terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has provided to the National Union of Students to implement the Prevent strategy.

David Willetts: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The National Union of Students received funding of £115,000 in 2012-13 and will receive £160,000 in 2013-14 to take a clear leadership role in delivering its responsibilities of supporting students' unions to:
	Understand the risks posed by some external speakers and how to mitigate against these risks;
	Understand their responsibilities in relation to the Prevent agenda and charities legislation;
	Respond to tensions between different student faith groups;
	Support student faith groups to negotiate for improved services and gain acknowledgement from their institutions of their specific needs (particularly in relation to changing equality legislation); and
	Increase interaction, understanding and learning amongst students and staff about the role of religion and belief in students' lives.
	This includes work to continue to roll out the Hate Speech Guidance (increase their capacity to manage the risks associated with external speakers) and develop the work that supports this including working to reduce discrimination and harassment; sharing best practice; and increasing knowledge and understanding of the needs of students of faith, as well as increasing inter- faith engagement.

Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the inter-ministerial group on drugs has met since May 2010; how many times more than four Ministers have been present; and how many times the agenda has included (a) drugs education, (b) drug prevention, (c) the role of Public Health England, (d) new psychoactive substances and (e) co-operation between criminal justice and health bodies.

Jeremy Browne: Further to the answer given on 9 July 2012, Official Report, columns 82-83W, I can confirm that the Inter-Ministerial Group on Drugs met on the following occasions:
	12 November 2012
	10 January 2013
	30 April 2013
	As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to publish details, including agenda items, of such meetings.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on arts in the regions; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), and Ministers hold regular meetings with Ministers from the Department for Communities and Local Government. It is for local authorities in concert with their communities to make the funding decisions that they feel are most appropriate for their area.

Arts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, (b) the British Council and (c) UK Trade and Investment on the arts and creative industries; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), the British Council and UK Trade and Investment.

Arts: Curriculum

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on arts and creativity in the curriculum; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), and Ministers hold regular meetings with Ministers from the Department for Education. I jointly Chair, with the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Norfolk (Elizabeth Truss), a regular meeting on Cultural Education, and DCMS and DFE officials have met frequently in the last year to discuss cultural education. Both Departments are working closely together to ensure that we provide a high quality cultural education for every child.

EDUCATION

Class Sizes

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many five to seven-year-olds were in classes of more than 30 pupils in January (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: Information on infant class sizes (typically covering pupils who become five to seven during the academic year) was published in table 6a of the publication “Schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2013”(1).
	The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher. Additional children may be admitted in exceptional circumstances—for example, looked-after children or children of UK service personnel. Classes often fall back naturally to 30 over a year or two. We are spending £5 billion by 2015 on creating new school places, more than double the amount spent by the last government in an equivalent time frame. This will help reduce the pressure on infant classes.
	We have also opened 81 free schools and approved some 200 more, providing 130,000 extra places in total once full.
	(1) Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013

Curriculum

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent meetings he has had with pupils groups to discuss changes to education; and what representations he has received from individual pupils regarding the proposed changes to the curriculum.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education visits schools regularly and takes every opportunity to speak with pupils about a range of issues related to education. Since May 2010 he has made 111 visits to schools, not including political or constituency visits.
	On the proposed changes to the curriculum specifically, the Department has held two events aimed at gathering views on the new national curriculum with young people, working in partnership with youth organisations. In addition, a number of young people responded to the recent public consultation on the proposed changes, and these responses are currently being considered alongside those of other respondents.

Education

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that pupils understand the reforms to the education system that are currently underway.

Elizabeth Truss: It is important that pupils understand the reforms this Government are undertaking to improve the education system. We know that children and young people are most likely to access information about their education from teachers and parents, with whom we communicate regularly.
	When appropriate we directly engage young people on our reforms. For example we recently produced a children's version of the Children and Families Bill. We also specifically consulted with young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities on the SEN provisions of the Bill.

Educational Visits

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of paperwork teachers have to complete when taking pupils on educational visits.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department is committed to reducing unnecessary bureaucracy that can deter schools from taking pupils on valuable visits. We have simplified the Department's health and safety guidance, reducing it from 150 pages to eight pages. It sets out clearly what schools and local authorities must do in law, and encourages both to take a common sense approach to ensuring compliance.
	The Department has produced a ‘one-off' parental consent form, which covers all activities outside the normal school day. The form will only need to be signed once, when a child enrols at the school. Schools will then only need to inform parents in advance of each activity and give them the opportunity to withdraw their child from the activity if they wish, rather than conducting bureaucratic form-filling exercises for every school trips. This will reduce bureaucracy for both parents and teachers.

Foster Care

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent consideration he has given to raising the age in which young people can choose to leave foster care from 18 to 21.

Edward Timpson: In October 2012, I wrote to all directors of children's services about the importance of supporting care leavers and I urged local authorities to ensure that care leavers are always living in safe, suitable accommodation. The Government's Staying Put policy encourages young people to remain with their former foster carers beyond the age of 18 and allows them to experience a transition from care to independence and adulthood based on need and not age alone.
	The Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers Regulations and Guidance 2010 and the Fostering Regulations and Guidance 2011 (Children Act 1989) now require local authorities to have such a policy, and many already extend foster care placements beyond the child's 18th birthday.
	The Department for Education has also worked alongside the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC to align and simplify tax rules for Staying Put arrangements to make implementing the policy even easier.
	An amendment to the Children and Families Bill was proposed on extending ‘staying put' arrangements. In the debate on 11 June on this amendment, I explained that if no progress is being made in widening this provision I will consider if legislation is required in the future.

Free Schools: Admissions

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what proportion of the places created under the free schools programme in the current school year will be primary places;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of school places created under the free schools programme created in areas where there is need for new places by 2015;
	(3)  what proportion of primary school places created under the free schools programme to date have been created in areas with a shortage of primary places;
	(4)  what proportion of places in schools created under the free schools programme to date are primary school places;
	(5)  what proportion of places created by the new free schools announced in May 2013 will be primary places.

Edward Timpson: Around 130,000 additional pupil places will be created in total by free schools which are open and in the pipeline.
	Approximately 50% of places in open free schools are primary places (this includes primary places in all-through schools). Approximately 89% of open primary free school places are in areas with a shortage of primary places. It is estimated that approximately 64% of places in open free schools are in areas where there is a need for new places by 2015.
	Including all-through schools, 42 out of 78 mainstream free schools approved in May 2013 will cater for primary-aged pupils. 72% of all free school approvals and 91% of primary, approvals will go towards meeting basic need. 90% of mainstream free schools approved in May 2013 are in areas of basic need or deprivation. The Government do not have a target for the number of primary places to be provided by the free schools programme.
	The Government are addressing the shortage of places left by the last Government through basic need funding. We are spending £5 billion on creating new places over the current spending review period, more than double the amount spent by the previous Government in an equivalent timeframe. By September 2013, we expect 190,000 additional places will have been created, with many more to come.

National Curriculum Tests

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether his Department plans to use the current Key Stage 2 (KS2) curriculum or the draft KS2 curriculum planned for introduction in 2014 to be used as the basis for KS2 assessment tests in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018;
	(2)  what the earliest date is at which the draft Key Stage 2 (KS2) curriculum planned for introduction in 2014 could be used as the basis for KS2 assessment tests;
	(3)  what the latest date is at which the current Key Stage 2 (KS2) curriculum could be used as the basis for KS2 assessment tests.

Elizabeth Truss: The new national curriculum will be introduced from September 2014. Key stage 2 statutory assessments under the new national curriculum will take place in summer 2016 and in subsequent years. This is the earliest that the Standards and Testing Agency can develop new national curriculum tests. Pupils will have been taught the new curriculum for two years before being assessed under it.
	The existing national curriculum will continue to be the basis for statutory end of key stage 2 assessments in summer 2014 and summer 2015.

Official Cars

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many journeys he has undertaken between his Department's premises and Parliament using the ministerial car pool in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not hold a record of the number of journeys undertaken between the Department's premises and Parliament using the ministerial car pool.

Outdoor Education

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve teachers' awareness of the Learning Outside the Classroom badge scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government do not promote individual schemes. Schools are free to choose how to deliver their curriculum, including the use of initiatives such as the Learning Outside the Classroom badge scheme.

Schools: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) failed and (b) underperforming (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools there were in each of the last 30 years.

Elizabeth Truss: We have interpreted ‘failed' schools to mean schools judged as ‘inadequate' by Ofsted. Data from 2005 onwards have been placed in the House Library; no comparable data are available for inspections undertaken before September 2005. To compile this information would incur disproportionate cost. There has been no consistent trend in the number or proportion of schools judged as ‘inadequate' between 2005/06 and 2011/12. Many factors can influence the spread of inspection grades, including modifications to successive frameworks, some of which raised expectations, and moving to more risk based inspection, with weaker schools inspected more frequently than other schools.
	We have interpreted ‘underperforming' to mean those schools that failed to meet the national floor targets. The first school-level floor targets used to identify underperforming schools were introduced in 2002 for key stage 2 and key stage 4. Prior to this, targets were set at local education authority and national level. Data from 2000 onwards on the number of schools failing to meet each year's targets have been placed in the House Library. With rising attainment, the criteria for being “above the floor” has increased over the period. The number of schools below the floor has decreased both absolutely and relatively between 2000 and 2012. In 2012, at key stage 4 the toughest threshold to date was introduced, leading to an increase in the number of schools below the floor between 2011 and 2012.

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much funding his Department will make available to support the participation of children and young people in the 2014 reporting round to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child;
	(2)  with reference to Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, what steps he plans to take to ensure that children and young people's opinions are represented in the Government's report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child;
	(3)  with reference to Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, what steps he plans to take to ensure that children and young people are represented in the 2014 reporting process of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Edward Timpson: The Government are due to submit a report on implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in the United Kingdom to the United Nations in January 2014. Preparation of the report is under way and will continue over the coming months. I expect the report to include details of various consultations that have taken place with children and young people on a wide range of policy proposals and issues. Some were organised for us by the British Youth Council, to which the Department has allocated £666,000 for 2013-15 in support of youth voice. Other consultations were conducted by or on behalf of individual Government Departments. We do not have a record of their costs.
	I would expect children and young people to be involved in the later stages of the reporting process to the UN. We will consider the practical and funding implications of this when we know the UN's timetable.

Vocational Guidance: Engineering

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the level of engagement of engineering firms with careers advice services.

Matthew Hancock: Schools have a duty to secure careers guidance for pupils in years 9-11, and are expected to work in partnership, as appropriate, with external careers providers and employers. From September this duty will be extended to years 8-13 and to colleges.
	The Department ensures that the Government-funded National Careers Service provides information and advice on careers in engineering. This includes details of jobs, careers, the skills and qualifications needed and links to representative bodies. We are looking to expand engagement between employers and the National Careers Service to ensure that young people get information on academic and vocational routes into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers.
	In addition, EngineeringUK, through initiatives such as the Big Bang Fair and Tomorrow's Engineers, are raising young people's awareness of the wide variety of engineering courses on offer and the benefits and rewards they can bring. The STEM Ambassadors programme, funded through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also works to raise awareness among children of the range of careers that science and technical qualifications offer.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Privy Council

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what dates the Privy Council will meet in July 2013.

Nicholas Clegg: The Privy Council is scheduled to meet on 10 July.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial support his Department makes available for small businesses to take on apprentices.

Michael Fallon: In addition to wider efforts to create more apprenticeship opportunities, the Government have introduced the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16-24). This provides grants to support smaller employers taking on young apprentices aged 16-24. Grants of £1,500 per apprentice are available. The grant is available to employers with up to 1,000 employees who have not taken on an apprentice in the previous 12 months, and an employer can claim grants to support up to 10 new apprentices. The availability of this grant has been extended until 31 December 2013.

Flexible Working: Carers

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he (a) has and (b) plans to put in place to improve awareness of the right to request flexible working amongst (i) employers and (ii) employees with caring responsibilities for older or disabled relatives; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: This Department has been working with a number of external partners to highlight the benefits of flexible working to both employees and employers. An example of this is our involvement with the Department for Work and Pension's Private Sector Working Group on flexible working, chaired by Working Families, which has been raising awareness of the right to request flexible working. Their newly created strapline ‘Happy to talk Flexible Working' encourages employers to advertise vacancies that operate flexibly and also encourages prospective employee's to discuss their flexible working needs with the employer at interview.
	This Department has also been working with Carers UK and Employers for Carers to highlight the benefits of flexible working to carers, and we welcome the work undertaken by groups such as the Agile Future Forum (a group of leading businesses), which highlights the opportunities and benefits that flexible working practices bring to employers.
	This Department will continue to work with all the relevant representative bodies to ensure that the extension of the right to request flexible working to all employees is publicised when it comes into force in 2014.

Greenwich University

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether Greenwich university was one of the 40 universities contacted by his Department in 2009 under the auspices of the Prevent strategy; and whether his Department received evidence that Greenwich university had conducted an assessment of the risk of radicalisation on its campus.

David Willetts: Greenwich university has, like most institutions, worked closely with their police Prevent engagement officer over recent years to look at the risks on their campus. The institution is now working with BIS's London Prevent co-ordinator.
	We do not publish the list of 40 universities that were contacted in 2009. This information is exempt from publication.

Higher Education: Radicalism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department has allocated to universities in order to deliver the Prevent strategy; and which universities have received such funding.

David Willetts: There is no funding currently allocated directly to universities to deliver activities under the Prevent strategy. We do however fund 10 regional coordinators to support universities and colleges to engage with Prevent. In addition the National Union of Students receives funding to train staff and sabbatical officers in Prevent awareness and to produce guidance on external speakers and room bookings. Universities UK is publishing guidance for universities on speakers and has set up a website for the sector to share knowledge and collect resources together.

Manufacturing Industries: Sports

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department offers British-based sports manufacturers to export their products.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) provides trade advice and practical support to UK-based companies wishing to export their products. Advice is provided through a network of professional advisers within the UK and across more than 100 international markets. Support ranges from participation at selected trade fairs, inward and outward missions through to providing bespoke market intelligence.
	Gateway to Global Growth:
	Is a service for experienced exporters which offers a 12 month programme of strategic support tailored to each company's requirements.
	The Export Marketing Research Scheme (EMRS):
	Provides independent advice on carrying out marketing research; in addition companies may be eligible for a grant of up to 50% of the cost of conducting that market research.
	The Export Communications Review (ECR):
	Provides companies with impartial and objective advice on language and cultural issues.
	The Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS):
	Is a chargeable business tool allowing UK companies to use the services of UKTI's trade teams overseas for bespoke services.
	UKTI's Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP):
	Provides grant support for eligible SME firms to attend trade shows overseas.
	UK companies can register on the UKTI website:
	www.ukti.gov.uk
	to access information and to receive details of specific business opportunities.
	Sports manufacturers can apply for support for any of the above services in the same way as any other UK based company.
	In the current year's TAP programme, UKTI is supporting organised groups of UK businesses at over 17 specialist and general sports trade shows.

Professional Organisations

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the self-regulation of professional bodies; and what assessment he has made of the efficacy of professional insurance schemes.

Jo Swinson: Government policy towards the self-regulation of professional bodies varies according to the nature of the professional body. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no assessment of the efficacy of professional insurance schemes.

Professional Organisations

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received from those who represent victims of professional negligence on the effectiveness of professional insurance schemes.

Jo Swinson: Our records show that the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has received no such representations.

Students: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what work is currently (a) ongoing within his Department and (b) commissioned by his Department on modelling the effect of retrospective changes to the terms of student loans.

David Willetts: The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations set out the terms and conditions of income contingent student loans. As we have no intention to change retrospectively the terms that applied in previous years, no such modelling work is being undertaken or commissioned by this Department.

UK Research Partnership Investment Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund awarded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England has been awarded to institutions in (a) the North East and (b) the South and London to date.

David Willetts: The UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (RPIF) is managed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) with funding allocated via competitive process. Higher education institutions across the UK are able to bid for funding, and all bids are assessed by an independent assessment panel against published criteria. Competition for funding has been strong, and HEFCE has to date provided £137.6 million to institutions based in the South and London. There have been no awards made so far to institutions from the North East. The commitment to date from RPIF is £301.4 million, which has leveraged £855 million from business and charities, together delivering a total investment of £1.156 billion in R&D collaborations between universities, businesses and charities.

JUSTICE

Legal Aid Scheme: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms currently deal with legal aid cases in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency, (b) South Lakeland and (c) Cumbria.

Jeremy Wright: The firms that hold contracts with the Legal Aid Agency may provide services from several offices. The table shows both the number of offices and firms in each area.
	The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records costs relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries. We have provided information based on local authority area as a reasonable proxy for constituency boundaries in relation to the Barrow-in-Furness and the South Lakeland. We have provided information based on procurement area as a reasonable proxy for the county of Cumbria as this encompasses a similar geographical area.
	
		
			 Area Type of area Number of offices Number of firms 
			 Cumbria Procurement area 43 33 
			 South Lakeland Local authority area 7 7 
			 Barrow-in-Furness Local authority area 5 5 
		
	
	Please note that the above information is correct as at 10 June 2013.

Legal Costs

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the percentage rate of change in the value of fees paid by the Legal Services Commission to counsel and higher court advocates was pursuant to the Graduated Fee Scheme for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The proportion of total Advocates' Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) spend paid to Higher Court Advocates (HCAs) has increased over the last 10 years. In 2003-04 HCAs accounted for 3% of total AGFS spend. In the last financial year (2012-13) HCAs accounted for 21% of total AGFS spend.
	
		
			 Table 1: Proportion of AGFS spend delivered by barristers and HCAs since 2003-04 
			 Percentage spend 
			  HCA Barrister 
			 2003-04 3 97 
			 2004-05 3 97 
			 2005-06 3 97 
			 2006-07 4 96 
			 2007-08 5 95 
			 2008-09 10 90 
			 2009-10 13 87 
			 2010-11 16 84 
			 2011-12 20 80 
			 2012-13 21 79

Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times Ministers of his Department have attended the inter-ministerial group on drugs since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: Ministers from this Department have attended the inter-ministerial group on drugs on eight occasions since May 2010.

Prisoners on Remand

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) men and (b) women were remanded in custody in each month of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: The following tables show the number of male and female prisoners received into prison on remand in England and Wales each month in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
	The figures provided are a further breakdown of those published in Table 1.2 of the ‘Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin' available on the GOV.UK website.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Remand receptions into prison establishments(1) by type of remand and by sex 2010-12 
			 Untried receptions, by month 2010-12, England and Wales 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			  Male Female Male Female Male Female 
			 January 3,819 322 4,054 354 3,922 342 
			 February 3,786 359 3,824 359 3,965 366 
			 March 4,417 399 4,213 402 4,121 315 
			 April 4,161 384 3,859 327 3,767 305 
			 May 4,361 409 4,323 368 3,970 292 
			 June 4,250 364 4,189 316 3,651 315 
			 July 4,376 367 4,206 346 4,113 373 
			 August 3,998 358 5,326 451 4,097 345 
		
	
	
		
			 September 3,975 374 4,352 360 3,775 337 
			 October 3,904 373 4,169 345 4,044 316 
			 November 4,172 377 4,203 312 3,719 328 
			 December 3,534 300 3,859 320 3,207 242 
			 All 48,753 4,386 50,577 4,260 46,351 3,876 
		
	
	
		
			 Convicted unsentenced receptions, 2010-12, England and Wales 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			  Male Female Male Female Male Female 
			 January 2,506 193 2,773 217 2,866 181 
			 February 2,766 222 2,654 238 2,729 208 
			 March 2,931 243 3,035 249 3,076 210 
			 April 2,661 204 2,646 199 2,669 161 
			 May 3,042 253 2,993 255 3,060 199 
			 June 3,196 245 3,255 214 2,776 163 
			 July 3,254 235 3,047 234 3,074 221 
			 August 2,845 201 3,267 263 2,933 180 
			 September 3,240 250 3,335 269 2,798 199 
			 October 3,137 226 3,213 254 3,108 206 
			 November 3,315 257 3,363 244 2,878 225 
			 December 2,659 216 2,951 223 2,364 162 
			 All 35,552 2,745 36,532 2,859 3,431 2,315 
			 (1) Excludes police cells. Note: Untried and convicted unsentenced receptions cannot be combined to give total remand receptions as some individuals are counted under both types of remand reception.

Prisoners: Public Consultation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners responded to public consultations run by his Department in the last year.

Jeremy Wright: Central data are not available to confirm how many prisoners responded to public consultations run by the Ministry of Justice in the last year. This information could be obtained only by a manual check with individual policy holders, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the number of prisoners in England and Wales awaiting placement on sex offender treatment programmes and the number of places available on such courses annually.

Jeremy Wright: We expect a total of 885 placements to be completed on sex offender treatment programmes in prisons in England and Wales in 2013-14.
	The number of prisoners who have been assessed and are on a waiting list for places on these programmes is not centrally available. We are obtaining the information from each prison that runs sex offender treatment programmes and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

Prisoners: Speech and Language Disorders

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the proportion of prisoners who have speech and language difficulties;
	(2)  how many speech and language therapists currently work within (a) prisons and (b) young offender institutes.

Jeremy Wright: Central data are not available on the number of offenders in custody with speech and language difficulties or on the number of speech and language therapists currently working in prisons. The information could be collected only by a manual check of local records and this would incur disproportionate cost.
	All newly received prisoners who wish to undertake education or training while in custody in England have a detailed assessment by the learning provider of their needs, and needs can also be identified through routine screening. This is a contractual obligation on the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS 4) service providers. In all public sector prisons, learning and skills in prisons is funded by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, provided by learning and skills providers, and co-commissioned between the Skills Funding Agency and NOMS. In Wales, learning and skills in prison is delivered by HMPS staff.
	The assessment will identify any additional learning support needs, and the learning provider has access to a dedicated budget to deliver that additional support. Where other needs are identified (for example a learning disability which might require additional detailed assessment), the learning provider will refer appropriately. Examples might include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and mental health support.
	Additional support against assessed need will be delivered through personalised programmes, and through the use of specialist staff, adaptations and resources where appropriate. This support is expected to last throughout the length of the programme and should be continuously reviewed.
	Prison health services may identify prisoners with speech and language difficulties. Annually refreshed prison health needs assessments are commissioned locally for each prison by NHS England, working with Public Health England, may identify these needs at the population level. Routine health screens and health appointments will identify prisoners requiring support.
	Health and education in Wales are devolved matters for the Welsh Government. Processes to identify and meet the health needs of prisoners in Wales are broadly similar to those described above and are in general the responsibility of local health boards and NHS Wales.

Tax Evasion

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases have been referred by the (a) Legal Services Commission and (b) Crown Prosecution Service to HM Revenue and Customs for consideration of prosecution for tax evasion in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency (former Legal Services Commission) is not in a position to answer for the Crown Prosecution Service, which is a matter for the Attorney-General.
	The Legal Aid Agency has not referred any cases to the HM Revenue and Customs for consideration of tax evasion in the years 2010-13.
	The Agency is working together with HM Revenue and Customs to identify ways of sharing data between the two Departments, when fraud is suspected. This is a key element of the Agency's anti fraud strategy and programme for 2013-15, and in line with the wider Government strategy on Fighting Fraud and Error through early prevention and detection. The Agency is part of the working group, led by the Cabinet Office, to identify solutions to data sharing barriers and improve joint working.

Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the future of HM Prison The Verne; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service and the Home Office are working together to ensure that there is sufficient prison and detention capacity for foreign national prisoners and immigration detainees.
	As part of that, the two organisations are looking at where such offenders are currently held and possible future arrangements. No decisions have been taken about HM Prison The Verne.

Youth Custody

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost was of a place in a (a) secure training centre, (b) local authority children's home and (c) young offender institution in each of the last three financial years.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the average cost of a place in a (a) Secure Training Centre, (b) Secure Children's Home and (c) under-18 Young Offender Institution in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			 Average sector bed prices 
			 To the nearest £000 
			 Financial year Secure Training Centres (STC) Secure Children's homes (SCH) Under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOI) 
			 2009-10 160,000 215,000 60,000 
			 2010-11 163,000 219,000 59,000 
			 2011-12 170,000 211,000 57,000 
			 2012-13 178,000 212,000 60,000 
			 2013-14 187,000 209,000 60,000 
			 Note: All prices shown above are to the nearest thousand; they are based upon Youth Justice Board (YJB) budget allocations for 2012-13. They are prices which the YJB and MOJ pay for those services in young people's secure custodial facilities. They are not intended to represent the total price of providing custody and related services to young people as they exclude other costs associated with custody such as: Education costs in under-18 Young Offender Institutions Secure and custodial transport for young people Service development programmes such as workforce and regime development—e.g. new restraint system; VAT paid by the YJB (on applicable services). Source: Children and Young People's Estate Average Sector Prices (Youth Justice Board)

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times Atos has breached its contractual targets in its delivery of the work capability assessment to date.

Mark Hoban: The Department reviews Atos’s performance against the contractual performance targets on a monthly basis and this includes targets in respect of the work capability assessment. Where appropriate any failure has resulted in the Department taking appropriate action. Since the introduction of the work capability assessment the Department has applied performance remedies on 23 occasions.

Atos Healthcare

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been made to Atos regarding the work capability assessment to date; and what the outcomes were of these complaints.

Mark Hoban: Since the introduction of work capability assessments in 2008, 14,941 complaints have been made to Atos Healthcare to date.
	This represents all complaints relating to the overall service provided by Atos, including arrangements for an appointment, the conducting of the work capability assessment (WCA) and the information contained on a medical report completed by health care professionals.
	The outcome or action taken following each complaint investigation is dependent upon the circumstances of each case.

Atos Healthcare

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value of his Department's contract with Atos to deliver the work capability assessment is.

Mark Hoban: The total cost of these services provided under the Medical Services contract amounts to approximately £100 million per annum. This figure not only covers the total number of assessments undertaken across all benefits, but also costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department assessed the performance of jobcentres in 2012; and how it will assess them in 2013.

Mark Hoban: Off flow from benefits is used to measure the performance of jobcentres. This measure was used in 2012 and will be used in 2013.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking with the devolved Assemblies to reduce the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants.

Mark Hoban: Jobcentre Plus works closely with the devolved Administrations in Wales and Scotland to enable unemployed people to access the right support they need to get a job and stay in work. Our policies build effective local partnerships to ensure the right support is in place to meet the needs of employers and those looking for work. At a more strategic level there are regular meetings between DWP, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to work together to share best practice on helping jobseekers to find employment.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons jobseeker's allowance claims have been sanctioned in each month since January 2012.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance sanction referrals by month and reason for referral, up to 21 October 2012 (the last date of the old regulations), can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203439/tab-tool-guidance.pdf
	The statistics on jobseeker's allowance sanctions applied from 22 October 2012 will be published in due course.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Dunbartonshire

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants registered at (a) Clydebank Jobcentre Plus, (b) Dumbarton Jobcentre Plus and (c) Alexandria Jobcentre Plus have had their benefit sanctioned in each month since September 2012.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance sanctions and disallowance referrals, where the decision was found against the claimant, in each month from 1 April 2000 to 21 October 2012, by Jobcentre Plus office can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-jobseekers-allowance-sanctions-and-disallowances-where-a-decision-has-been-made-in-each-month-from-1-april-2000-to-21-october-2012
	Statistics from 22 October 2012 will be published in due course.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Dunbartonshire

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against jobseeker's allowance sanctions have been successful in West Dunbartonshire constituency since September 2012.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on how many appeals against jobseeker's allowance sanctions have been successful in West Dunbartonshire constituency from 1 April 2000 to 21 October 2012 (the last date of the old regulations) can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203439/tab-tool-guidance.pdf
	Statistics on jobseeker's allowance sanctions from 22 October 2012 are not yet available.

Low Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families in work with children were earning less than the average national weekly income in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England in each year since 2010.

Esther McVey: Information for South Yorkshire and Barnsley Central constituency is not available as the sample size the Family Resources Survey is not sufficient to provide robust estimates for these areas.
	The information requested for England is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of families with children with incomes below average national weekly income(1) by economic status, Before Housing Costs, England 
			 Number of families with children where at least one adult is in work with incomes below average national weekly income(1), Before Housing Costs, England 
			 Million 
			  Below average national weekly income 
			 Number of families with children whose family type is: 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 At least one adult in work 2.6 2.6 2.8 
			 Workless families 1.0 1.0 0.9 
			 Total 3.6 3.6 3.6 
			 (1) Average income is defined as the median equivalised net household income, where median income divides the population of families, when ranked by income, into two equal sized groups. Equivalisation is the process that makes adjustments to incomes, so that the standard of living of households with different compositions can be compared. Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Families with children are defined as a single adult or a couple living together with dependent children. 3. The number of working families with children who have a household income of less than the national weekly median is calculated on the basis of household income for all families in the United Kingdom. Therefore, the median income divides the population of all families, when ranked by income, into two equal sized groups. 4. The statistics published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) publication are based on the number of people below various thresholds of median household income for all individuals, and are therefore produced on a different basis to the figures provided in the table. 5. Figures have been presented on an Before Housing Cost basis. Housing costs consist of (rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, buildings insurance payments and ground rent and service charges). 6. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 7. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. 8. Numbers of families with children have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. Source: FRS 
		
	
	Further information can be found in the Household Below Average Income series published at
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai
	Work is the best route out of poverty, children in workless households are around three times more likely to be in poverty than those in working families.
	New statistics (Households Below Average Income) show that the number of children in workless poor families has reduced by 100,000 children over the past year (a two percentage point reduction). The proportion of children in poverty who are in working families has risen, this is because the proportion of children in workless households has fallen as more families have moved into work.
	The evidence consistently shows that the best routes out of poverty are through parents being in work and through a child's educational achievement which can stop a poor child becoming a poor adult. Income matters but it is also about addressing barriers to employment and ensuring that every family has the skills and opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty.
	We are introducing the universal credit which will reduce child poverty through making work pay and providing an effective route out of poverty. Universal credit will improve work incentives by allowing individuals to keep more of their income as they move into work, and by introducing a smoother and more transparent reduction of benefits when they increase their earnings. Universal credit will also reduce child poverty by re-focusing of entitlements on lower income in-work households and having a simpler system that should lead to a considerable increase in the take-up compared to the current complex system of benefits and tax credits.
	We want to develop better measures of child poverty which include, but go beyond income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty, so that we can ensure we properly tackle the causes. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

New Businesses

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new businesses he expects to have been created as a result of the new enterprise allowance scheme by the end of 2013.

Mark Hoban: We have made a commitment to support the creation of up to 40,000 new businesses by the end of 2013. Nearly 1,000 new businesses are being established every month because of the New Enterprise Allowance, a trend which suggests around 20,000 have been set up in total.

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to provide support for unemployed people seeking self-employment after referrals to the current new enterprise allowance scheme ends in September; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: We are currently developing the policy for self-employment provision after September. More information on this will be available in due course.

Occupational Pensions

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on communicating to the public the introduction of the Government's workplace pension scheme.

Steve Webb: To date, we have spent £7,840,308.24 on communications to individuals, and £1,479,380.25 on communications to employers.
	Automatic enrolment into a workplace pension is a major Government reform programme. It is a legal requirement and will see 1.3 million employers enrolling up to 10 million eligible workers into a pension scheme.
	Our communications campaign aims to raise awareness and understanding of workplace pensions, and ultimately encourage more people to stay enrolled. The campaign is supported by a programme of low cost/no cost activities.
	Since the launch of the campaign in September 2012, our tracking shows that the campaign has reached over 87% of all adults who watch commercial TV, and the radio advert has reached 67% of the population, who heard it 10 times on average during the launch burst in September/October 2012.
	Following the initial burst of campaign activity, awareness of the change in the law had risen to 71% of working age adults, up from 33% prior to the start of the campaign.

Social Security Benefits

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on communicating to the public (a) changes to entitlements made by the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and (b) assistance available to those affected by such changes.

Mark Hoban: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
	The Department has also made a wide range of welfare reform information available online at GOV.UK via a series of toolkits. The toolkits have been promoted extensively to stakeholders, many of whom are actively using the content to communicate the changes to people who may be affected.
	
		
			 Welfare reform publicity costs 
			 Activity Cost (£000) 
			 Benefit cap direct mail 85 
			 Spare room subsidy advertising 84 
			 Personal independence payment stakeholder events 17.5

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many out of work households who are not otherwise exempt from the benefit cap, will still receive benefits in excess of the cap after its introduction.

Mark Hoban: We estimate that around 4,000 out of work households who would not otherwise be exempt from the benefit cap, will still receive benefits in excess of the cap after its introduction. This is due to the cap initially operating through housing benefit. Until claimants are migrated to universal credit, it remains possible for combinations of other out of work benefits to exceed this level.
	This figure is consistent with the ad hoc statistics release of the number of households we estimate to be affected by the benefit cap published in April 2013, which can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/196895/Ben_Cap_Updated_Estimate.pdf.pdf

Social Security Benefits

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people have been affected by the benefit cap since its introduction in April 2013;
	(2)  what the average loss in income per person has been for people affected by the benefit cap since its introduction in April 2013.

Mark Hoban: Statistics outlining the number of households affected by the benefit cap will be published shortly. This analysis will be published here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/benefit-cap-statistics

Social Security Benefits

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households likely to be subject to the benefit cap after July 2013.

Mark Hoban: National implementation of the benefit cap commences 15 July and by the end of September 2013 all appropriate households will have been capped. We estimate around 40,000 households may be subject to the benefit cap in 2013-14. This estimate is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/196895/Ben_Cap_Updated_Estimate.pdf

Social Security Benefits

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether there are circumstances under which an out of work household that is not otherwise exempt from the benefit cap would still receive benefits in excess of the cap after its introduction.

Mark Hoban: The majority of households who currently receive benefits in excess of the cap level will be in receipt of housing benefit and they will have the cap applied in line with the Department's announced timetable for its phased roll-out. We are aware that there may be a small number of households whose income from benefits other than housing benefit exceeds the level of the cap and these will continue to receive benefits over the cap level until their claims migrate to universal credit.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the letter to him of 9 May 2013 from the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority on Department for Work and Pensions statistics, enclosing a letter of the same date to the Trades Union Congress, if he will review the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 353W, on social security benefits in the light of the contents of both letters.

Mark Hoban: The Department formally responded to the letter in question on 14 May 2013 and is making every effort to meet the requirements as set out by the UK Statistics Authority:
	http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports---correspondence/correspondence/robert-devereux-to-andrew-dilnot-140513.pdf
	The response dated 16 May 2013 contained accurate information as published by the Department with the required caveats noted. The plan for releasing number of capped cases has also now been published and is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/benefit-cap-statistics

Social Security Benefits: Greater London

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of administering the benefit cap in the London boroughs of (a) Haringey, (b) Enfield, (c) Croydon and (d) Bromley since April 2013.

Mark Hoban: The following table illustrates the administrative funding provided to the four local authorities for phased roll-out and national implementation.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2013-14  
			  Project management and set-up costs New burdens funding Total 
			 Bromley 216,608 64,420 281,028 
			 Croydon 367,560 164,547 532,107 
			 Enfield 441,093 368,483 809,576 
			 Haringey 277,939 207,256 485,195 
			 Total 1,303,200 804,706 2,107,906 
		
	
	The project management and set-up costs were provided to enable the management of phased roll-out and the compilation and analysis of lessons learned.

Unemployment: West Midlands

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures other than the Work programme are in place to tackle unemployment in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Mark Hoban: Jobcentre Plus personal advisers offer a comprehensive menu of help including support with jobs search, work experience, skills provision, volunteering, and help to set up their own businesses.
	The Youth Contract provides wage incentives for employers who want to recruit an unemployed young person, from Jobcentre Plus or the Work programme, and financial incentives to take on young apprentices.
	Where Jobcentre Plus advisers feel that a person would benefit from a short period of activity, they can refer them to a Mandatory Work Activity placement that lasts for four weeks focused on delivering benefit to the local community.
	In-work support for 18 to 24-year-olds is offered in Birmingham. This is designed to support those starting work who may have difficulties holding down a position for the first 26 weeks. Support includes a dedicated Aftercare Adviser, access to an In-Work Mentoring Service and Money Management and Debt Counselling.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on the roll-out of universal credit of the announcement by HM Revenue and Customs that small businesses will be permitted to submit PAYE information monthly rather than in real time from October 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1030W.
	The universal credit system will assess the payment to be made to a claimant monthly. Earnings used to calculate the universal credit payment will be determined from Real Time Information (RTI) data received in the assessment period and any earnings reported by the claimant.
	In March, HMRC announced a temporary relaxation, until 5 October 2013, of requirements for reporting PAYE data for small firms employing fewer than 50 people. This recognises that those smaller employers who pay employees weekly, or more frequently, but only process their payroll monthly, may need longer to adjust their process to reporting PAYE in real-time.
	This relaxation runs for a period of six months, broadly coinciding with the UC Pathfinder, during which we expect the number of employers of UC claimants to be relatively small. We will be utilising RTI data for claimants where this is possible. Where RTI is not available we will have alternative clerical processes to ensure their awards are based on accurate and up-to-date earnings information. Based on our knowledge of employers recruiting in the Pathfinder area, we would not expect the relaxation to have a significant effect. We will, however, be monitoring this closely during the Pathfinder.
	HMRC have now announced that the concession will run until the beginning of April 2014 when it will be withdrawn. However, it is not expected that it will have a significant effect on the first months of live UC running.

Universal Credit: Ashton-Under-Lyne

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed universal credit at Ashton-under-Lyne jobcentre since 29 April 2013.

Mark Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I provided the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr Byrne) on 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1253W.
	The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on pathfinder areas in autumn 2013.
	We expect around 7,000 claims to be processed in pathfinders.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the decision of the Upper Tier Tribunal in ST v SSWP (2012) UKUT 469 (AAC)-(CE/829/2012), what steps he has taken to ensure that all submissions to tribunals concerning appeals against decisions made following application of the work capability assessment contain all the relevant evidence.

Mark Hoban: Guidance is available to all DWP employment and support allowance appeal writers telling them to provide relevant evidence to tribunals for appeals against decisions made following a work capability assessment. The relevant guidance can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dmgch06.pdf
	and
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/ch04.pdf

Work Programme: Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people in Vale of Clwyd constituency returned to work under the Work programme in each month of that scheme's operation.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.
	Statistics on how many people gained a job outcome under the Work programme in each month from 1 June 2011 to 31 July 2012 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool#benefit-caseloads
	Statistics covering Work programme referrals, attachments and job outcomes to March 2013 are being published on 27 June 2013.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Roads

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department has made any estimate of the number of people who (a) are killed and (b) suffer an incapacitating disability as a result of road accidents in developing countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The World Health Organisation has recently prepared a Global Status Report on Road Safety. That report shows that road traffic injuries are the eighth leading cause of death globally, and the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-29. 1.24 million people were killed on the roads in 2010. For every road traffic fatality, at least 20 people sustain non-fatal injuries. These deaths and injuries occur predominantly in poor countries and a high proportion of deaths (Africa 38%) are pedestrians. The cost of dealing with the consequences of these road traffic crashes runs to billions of dollars.

Developing Countries: Roads

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department provides support to any programmes to improve road safety in developing countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK is providing £1.5 million over three years to the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), managed by the World Bank. DFID’s support will contribute to the achievement of the UN Decade of Action goal of reducing road casualties by 50% by 2020. As part of the African Community Access Programme (AFCAP), DFID has also commissioned road safety research. One example is a project with the NGO AMEND which works with schoolchildren and motorbike taxis on road safety in Tanzania. There is also support to road safety in some DFID country programmes. For example in Democratic Republic of Congo, the “Pro-Routes” project to rehabilitate sections of the national highway includes road safety considerations at the engineering design stage.

Developing Countries: Roads

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department has made any assessment of the effect on development of poor road safety.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID draws on global research. In December 2012 The Lancet published the “Global Burden of Disease study”. It found that road traffic crashes accounted for nearly a third of the world injury burden. Economically disadvantaged families are hardest hit by both direct medical costs and indirect costs, such as lost wages, that result from road traffic injuries. At the national level, road traffic injuries result in considerable financial costs, particularly to developing economies. Indeed, road traffic injuries are estimated to cost low- and middle-income countries between 1% and 2% of their gross national product, estimated at over US$100 billion a year.

Palestinians

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what processes are in place to ensure that UK aid to the Palestinian Authority is not used to pay salaries to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons convicted of terror offences.

Alan Duncan: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 21 March 2013, Official Report, columns 766-67W.

Sierra Leone

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of child poverty in Kailahun province, Sierra Leone.

Lynne Featherstone: The most recent assessment of child poverty in Kailahun is contained in the results of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey undertaken by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published in December 2011. In common with other rural districts in Sierra Leone, this shows that children in Kailahun suffer severe levels of poverty and deprivation. Although child survival rates in Kailahun are a little above the overall rate for the country, the district scores second worst against UNICEF's Early Child Development index (which shows the percentage of children developmentally on track with respect to literacy-numeracy, physical wellbeing, social-emotional development, and learning).

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to engage with Central Asian states on transition in Afghanistan.

Alistair Burt: We have taken active steps to engage with Central Asian states on transition in Afghanistan to help secure long-term stability and security for the region. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi discussed Afghanistan during her recent visits to Kazakhstan in April 2013, and to Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in June 2013. She also represented the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) at the Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process in Almaty, Kazakhstan in April 2013. This conference discussed regional stability and security, with a focus on Afghanistan. My noble and right hon. Friend met with her Central Asian counterparts in the margins of this conference to discuss Afghanistan. Our Central Asian embassies actively engage their hosts on transition in Afghanistan, reaffirming the UK's long-term commitment beyond 2014. In addition, we are working with Central Asian Governments on a number of initiatives funded by the tri-departmental Conflict Pool to help them deal with security challenges and we continue to monitor progress.

Afghanistan

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the decision of President Karzai to boycott the peace talks in Qatar.

Alistair Burt: The opening of a Taliban Political Office in Doha for talks with Afghans and the US is a welcome step forward in the Afghan-led peace process. The Taliban have said that they will use the office in Doha to pursue a peaceful, political solution and to meet other Afghans. We hope and expect that meetings with members of Afghanistan's High Peace Council will take place soon.

Arms Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that a coherent approach is being taken towards the international sale of arms; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK is a co-author and strong supporter of the Arms Trade Treaty that was adopted by an overwhelming majority at the UN General Assembly on 2 April. I signed the treaty for the UK on 3 June, and will shortly table the text in both Houses to initiate our ratification process. The Treaty will save lives, reduce human suffering, and bring consistency to the global trade in conventional arms. It will not stigmatise the legitimate trade in arms. Instead it will protect it, establishing global commitments on national arms export controls and a baseline for robust controls that ensure countries can defend their citizens without undermining human development.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that overseas territories sign the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters; and when he expects them to sign this Convention.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 18 June 2013, Official Report, column 636W.

Iran

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sanctions against Iranian oil and gas companies.

Alistair Burt: The EU has taken significant steps to prevent from Iran using its energy revenues to fund its nuclear programme. This includes a ban on the import of Iranian oil and gas, and designation of Iran's key energy companies and their subsidiaries, as well as energy ministries. As a result of EU and other international sanctions, Iranian oil revenues have been cut by more than half from 2011 levels, and access to those revenues is highly constrained. Sanctions have played an important part in bringing Iran to the negotiating table.

Iran

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the president-elect of Iran on future relations and the possibility of mutual re-opening of full diplomatic facilities; and if he will make a statement on relations with that country.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has not had any discussions with President-elect Rouhani.
	On the question of UK-Iran relations, and the possibility of re-opening embassies, I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Secretary of State gave to the House on 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 626.

Saudi Arabia

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the execution of seven prisoners for armed robbery in that country on 13 March 2013.

Alistair Burt: I expressed my concern about this case in a public statement I made on 13 March. It can be found on the Government's website at:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/news/fco-concerned-at-executions-in-saudi-arabia
	Officials have since raised the death penalty with the Saudi Arabian Government.

Saudi Arabia

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on that country's human rights record.

Alistair Burt: In April, the Deputy Head of Mission at our embassy in Riyadh met the Deputy-Chairman of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. They discussed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Annual Human Rights Report 2012, and some of the concerns highlighted within it. The head of the FCO's Human Rights and Democracy Department visited Saudi Arabia in May. She met His Highness Dr Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud al-Kebir, Minister responsible for human rights at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of the Majlis Ash-Shura's Human Rights Committee, authorised Saudi human rights NGOs, and human rights activists. We hope the Shura's Human Rights Committee will be able to visit Parliament to discuss the work of the Joint Committee on Human Rights in due course.

USA

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date the intelligence agencies informed the Intelligence and Security Committee about Prism; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I refer to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) to the House on 10 June 2013, Official Report, columns 31-34.